How to Optimize Instagram Videos for Better Search Visibility

Instagram is gradually becoming not only a platform for audience engagement but also a fully-fledged search channel. Users turn to the platform to discover products, services, reviews, tutorials, and recommendations. Video content is becoming one of the formats brands can use to attract the attention of potential customers. To make videos appear more frequently in response to search queries, publishing high-quality content and adding popular hashtags is not enough. Brands need to define the topic of each video clearly, use specific product and service names, communicate key information at the beginning of the video, and demonstrate what the content is about. This is highlighted by research from the US marketing agency Stella Rising, which analyzed approximately 22,700 public Instagram posts across 634 search queries in the beauty industry. The findings showed that in the face, fragrance, lip, and skincare categories, at least 92% of the videos appearing near the top of search results mentioned a specific product within the first few seconds. This does not prove that mentioning a product name directly improves an Instagram video's search ranking. However, the findings suggest that specificity can be an important part of a brand's content strategy. Let's explore how marketing teams can apply this approach to improve the search visibility of their video content. Why Specificity Matters in Instagram Search Many brands use broad titles for their videos, such as "Summer Makeup," "The Perfect Skincare Routine," "How to Choose a Smartphone," or "Healthy Eating Tips." This type of content can be useful, but its topic may not be specific enough to match a particular search intent. For example, someone looking for a skincare product may not search for the general term "skincare." Instead, they might enter a more specific query, such as "which SPF is best for oily skin," "La Roche-Posay Anthelios sunscreen review," or "how to use a niacinamide serum." The same applies to other industries: Electronics: Instead of "How to Choose a Laptop" — "ASUS Zenbook 14 Review for Work and Study." Automotive: Instead of "Driving Tips" — "How to Prepare Your Car for Winter and Check the Battery." Retail: Instead of "Autumn Fashion Trends" — "How to Style a Women's Trench Coat with a Basic Wardrobe." Financial Services: Instead of "How to Save Money" — "How to Open a Hryvnia Deposit and What to Consider When Choosing One." Real Estate: Instead of "How to Buy an Apartment" — "What to Consider When Buying an Apartment in a New Residential Development in Kyiv." In each case, a more specific topic gives users a clearer understanding of what they will get from watching the video. The Stella Rising study also found that most of the videos appearing near the top of search results were tutorials. This means brands do not need to abandon educational content. Instead, they should combine it with specific products, services, tools, or techniques. For example, a contouring tutorial can address two questions at once: how to contour correctly and which contour stick to choose. As a result, a single piece of content can address a wider range of audience needs without losing focus. It is important to note that the study covered only the beauty industry. Applying these findings to other sectors is therefore a hypothesis that businesses should test using their own content. Define the Specific Subject of the Video and the Search Query It Answers Video optimization should begin before production. Before filming, marketers need to identify the audience's specific need that the video will address and consider how users might search for relevant information on Instagram. One way to do this is to turn a broad video topic into a specific question. For example: "Facial Contouring" becomes "Which Contour Stick Is Best for a Round Face?" "Hair Care" becomes "Which Shampoo Should You Choose for Color-Treated Hair?" "Driving Tips" becomes "How to Check the Engine Oil Level in Your Car?" "Instagram Marketing" becomes "How to Set Up Instagram Ads for an Online Store?" "Choosing a Coffee Machine" becomes "Which Automatic Coffee Machine Should You Buy for Home Use?" The goal is not to mechanically add as many keywords as possible to the title. Instead, the topic should reflect the actual search intent of a potential viewer. For medium-sized and large businesses, this means integrating search query research into the content planning process. Marketing teams can use search analytics, customer support inquiries, comments under social media posts, and frequently asked questions that arise when customers are choosing products or services. This approach helps brands create content not only around current events or promotional campaigns but also around the specific needs of their target audiences. Mention the Main Subject Within the First Few Seconds Once the topic has been defined, it is important to communicate what the video is about as early as possible. In the Stella Rising study, researchers found that popular videos in the dataset frequently mentioned a specific product at the beginning of the video. The product name appeared in both the voiceover and on-screen text. This made the subject immediately clear to viewers without requiring them to wait several seconds to understand the topic. For example, instead of starting with: "Today, we're going to talk about one of the most important steps in your summer skincare routine..." A brand could begin with: "Today, we're testing La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50+ sunscreen to see whether it works well for oily skin." The second version immediately identifies the product, its key characteristic, and the main subject of the video. Ukrainian businesses can apply the same principle across different industries: "We're testing the new iPhone 17 Pro Max and evaluating its camera quality." "Here's how the EURO 5 fuel station loyalty program works." "We're explaining how to purchase ARX travel insurance online." "We're comparing two popular types of coffee machines for home use." It is important to maintain consistent terminology across all video elements: voiceover, on-screen text, and the post caption. At the same time, the study's authors noted that they did not measure the impact of captions on video performance. Therefore, brands should not rely exclusively on written descriptions to communicate the topic. The main subject should be clear from the video itself. Show the Exact Product or Service Being Discussed Mentioning a product is not enough. If a video focuses on a specific product, brands should show it in close-up, demonstrate how it is used, and explain its features. This approach is particularly relevant to product categories where visual demonstrations help customers make purchasing decisions. For example, if a brand publishes a video about a new smartphone model, it should not simply list its technical specifications. Instead, it can demonstrate the camera, interface, image quality, design features, and other characteristics that matter to potential buyers. For beauty brands, this could involve showing a product's texture, application process, and results. For home appliance manufacturers, it could mean demonstrating how a device works. Automotive businesses could showcase a specific service or maintenance procedure. The main idea is to ensure that the visual content supports the topic presented in the video. For marketers, this is also an opportunity to make content more informative. Instead of simply promoting a product's benefits, brands can provide a practical demonstration that helps viewers evaluate its functionality and determine whether it meets their needs. Specify Who the Content Is For In some topics, it is important not only to name the product or technique but also to identify the audience for whom it is relevant. The Stella Rising study found that this pattern appeared more frequently in hair and nail tutorials. Creators often specified hair types, appearance-related characteristics, or particular occasions for which a technique was suitable. In contrast, videos about lip products and beauty trends often did not need additional audience descriptions because the shade or trend name already made the subject sufficiently specific. This principle can also be applied to other industries. For example, a fitness brand should distinguish between videos such as "Workouts for Beginners," "Exercises for People Who Spend Long Hours Sitting," and "Workout Routine for Runners." All three belong to the same category, but they address different audience needs. For a financial services company, relevant topics could include: "How to Open a Personal Savings Deposit." "Which Financial Instruments Are Available to Small Businesses?" "How Entrepreneurs Can Prepare for a Bank Loan Application." For B2B companies, identifying the target audience is particularly important because content may be designed for business owners, marketing managers, CFOs, or procurement specialists. Defining the intended audience makes the video topic more precise and increases its relevance to people searching for a specific solution. Give Names to Techniques and Repeatable Formats Specificity does not necessarily have to come from a product name. Sometimes, it comes from a particular technique, method, or format that is easy to remember and use in communication. Among the popular videos analyzed in the Stella Rising study, researchers identified techniques and formats such as "3 lines hack," "BASIC vs PRO," and "V contour hack." These types of names help distinguish a particular approach from a large amount of similar content. They also give viewers a recognizable term they can use to identify the technique. Businesses can apply this principle when developing their own recurring content formats. For example: Marketing agencies: "A 5-Step Advertising Campaign Audit," "SEO Checklist Before Launching a Website," "Google Ads: Basic vs. Advanced Settings." Banks: "A 30-Day Financial Plan," "The Three-Account Rule for Personal Finance Management." Retail: "A Basic Wardrobe with 10 Items," "Three Ways to Style One Clothing Item." Education companies: "Learn English in 15 Minutes a Day," "Five Exercises to Improve Your Pronunciation." When a particular format is used consistently, it can become a recognizable brand content series. However, the name should accurately reflect the video's content. Brands should avoid inventing complicated terms or creating artificial labels solely to attract attention. Viewers need to understand what value they will receive from watching. Make the Topic Clear Beyond Exact Keywords The study found that Instagram search results were not always predictable. For example, the query "collar bone contour" returned an orthopedic surgeon's anatomy video and a sewing tutorial. Another query, "sunset makeup," produced no relevant results until the wording was changed. These examples do not fully explain how Instagram matches search queries with videos. However, they demonstrate why brands should make their content understandable through natural language rather than relying on a single exact keyword phrase. For marketers, this means using clear, natural wording when creating content. For example, if a company produces a video about SEO services, it should not rely exclusively on abbreviations or industry-specific terminology. Instead, it can explain the topic using phrases that its target audience understands: "What Is SEO and How Does Website Optimization Work?" "How to Increase Organic Traffic to an Online Store." "Why Product Pages Are Not Appearing in Google Search Results." This is particularly relevant for companies working with different audience segments. Potential customers may use both professional terminology and everyday language to search for the same solution. Therefore, content planning should take both types of queries into account and incorporate them across different videos. End the Video with a Question Only Viewers Can Answer Audience engagement remains an important part of a content strategy. However, instead of using generic calls to action such as asking viewers to leave a comment or like the video, brands should ask questions directly related to the content. In the Stella Rising study, the authors observed that popular videos more frequently included comment prompts connected to the subject of the content. However, they did not establish that such questions directly improve video rankings in search results. For example, after a cosmetic product review, a creator could ask: "Which of these two shades would you choose for everyday makeup?" Ukrainian businesses can use similar questions: Retail: "Which of these two options would you choose for your interior?" Automotive: "Which car model would you like us to review next?" Financial Services: "Which deposit feature matters most to you: the interest rate or the option to withdraw funds early?" Marketing: "Which customer acquisition channel currently works best in your industry?" These questions not only encourage discussion but also help companies gather additional information about audience needs, interests, and priorities. The responses can be used to plan future publications, identify relevant topics, and generate new ideas for video content. Which Factors Did Not Show Clear Advantages in the Study? In addition to identifying patterns among popular videos, Stella Rising researchers highlighted several factors that did not show an obvious relationship with an account's appearance near the top of Instagram search results. 1. Keywords in account names. Accounts with keyword-heavy names were mostly associated with small or inactive profiles. This does not mean that account names are irrelevant to search, but the study did not identify an obvious advantage associated with this approach. 2. Follower count. The researchers did not observe an obvious relationship between the number of followers and the appearance of accounts near the top of search results. Some smaller accounts appeared ahead of significantly larger profiles. This suggests that businesses should not evaluate their potential search visibility based exclusively on audience size. 3. Posting frequency without a clear topic. Publishing videos regularly did not, by itself, stand out as an advantage in the analyzed dataset. A more noticeable pattern was the consistency of account topics. 4. Broad account positioning. Accounts that appeared repeatedly in search results generally focused on a specific subject. Examples included trichologists in the hair care category and dermatologists in the skincare category. For businesses, this may be an argument for maintaining consistent account positioning. If a company operates across several business areas, it should consider structuring its content around key product categories and services and covering them regularly. However, these findings do not prove that follower count, posting frequency, or account names have no impact on Instagram search visibility. They simply indicate that these factors were not the main patterns identified in this particular dataset. What Businesses Should Consider When Evaluating the Results The Stella Rising study covered approximately 22,700 public Instagram posts across 634 beauty-related search queries. The analysis was conducted in September 2026, and search results were evaluated using engagement-ranked retrieval. Several limitations should be taken into account. First, the study covered only the beauty industry. Therefore, similar conclusions cannot be automatically applied to other sectors without additional testing. Second, Instagram personalizes search results for individual users. The results may be influenced by users' individual interactions with the platform. Consequently, the study provides an indication of search performance rather than a universal representation of the rankings every user will see. Third, the authors did not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between specific video characteristics and search positions. For example, mentioning a product name early was common among popular videos, but this does not mean that this particular practice was responsible for their high rankings. For this reason, the recommendations should be treated as hypotheses to test rather than confirmed Instagram ranking factors. How Businesses Can Test the Effectiveness of Video Optimization To determine whether more specific topics can improve content visibility, companies do not need to completely change their content strategies. They can start with a single video and compare its results with those of previous publications. A practical testing process could include the following steps: Choose a topic to test. Select a planned video with a broad title and identify a more specific subject for the content. Define the search query. Consider how a potential customer might search for information about the relevant product, service, or technique. Prepare the script. Mention the main subject within the first few seconds, include its name in on-screen text, and demonstrate it visually. Specify the target audience. If relevant to the topic, clarify who will benefit from the content. Add a relevant question. Encourage viewers to share an opinion or experience related to the video. Evaluate the results. Compare the new video's performance with that of previous videos in a similar format. When evaluating performance, businesses should monitor reach, views, interactions, comments, profile visits, and new followers. If the relevant data is available through Instagram Insights, it is also worth analyzing traffic sources and the share of views coming from search. For medium-sized and large businesses, it is important not to limit the evaluation to individual publications. Running a series of tests within the same product category or service area will provide more data for comparison. For example, an electronics retailer could prepare two groups of videos. The first would cover general topics such as "Smartphone Reviews," while the second would focus on more specific subjects, such as "Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Camera, Battery Life, and Performance." After publishing a series of videos, the company could compare their results over the same period. At the same time, it is important to consider other factors, including product popularity, seasonality, publishing time, creative quality, advertising support, and audience activity. This will help prevent the company from incorrectly attributing all performance changes to the increased specificity of the video topic. Conclusions Instagram should be considered not only a platform for publishing content and engaging with followers but also an additional search channel for discovering products, services, and practical information. The Stella Rising study found that popular videos in the beauty industry frequently featured clearly defined subjects, including specific product names, techniques, and methods. In many cases, this information appeared within the first few seconds of the video. For businesses, this means paying greater attention to specificity when planning video content. Brands should define their topics clearly, consider audience search intent, mention products and services at the beginning of videos, demonstrate how they work, and adapt their wording to the actual queries potential customers use. However, these recommendations should not be treated as a guaranteed way to improve Instagram search rankings. The most practical approach is to test them using a company's own content, analyze the results, and gradually incorporate effective practices into its overall marketing strategy. Read this articlr in Ukrainain.